Onychectomy, or declawing, is a major surgery where the ends of the toe bones are amputated from a cat's paws. This is a very painful procedure and can carry risks and complications including anesthetic complications, hemorrhage, infection and pain.

Because of this it is our policy to advocate for alternatives to declawing and to only perform declaw surgeries as a last resort when all other alternatives have failed.

It is the natural behavior of cats to scratch. They will continue this behavior even after a declaw is performed as this is their method of communication. The following is a list of a few things to try:

Provide scratching outlets in the forms of horizontal or vertical scratching posts in the areas they currently are scratching . Reward your cat with treats when he does use the scratching post.

Keep your cat's nails trimmed by clipping them every 2 weeks with a nail trimmer. We are happy to teach you how to do this.

Additionally you can try Soft Paws, a soft temporary nail cover that is fitted over the cat's claws.

Read "Think Twice Before You Declaw" for in-depth instruction and information about where, when and how to train your cat to scratch where you want him to.

We hope that with this knowledge you will feel empowered to help your cat use his scratching for good.

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